Am I worse off than someone on on UC??

[Underduvet33]

AIBU here to be annoyed? I recently heard someone say that they get £1300 in Universal credit per month and work 12hrs a week earning approx 300 pounds per month- plus they get all their childcare free as on UC plus require less childcare as only work 12 hours a week

That leaves them with 1600 to spend on rent etc (do they get help with this too??)

I don’t get any benefits I have 2 children in nursery full time- so I can work full time. Even with one of my children receiving 30 hours free - after childcare costs are deducted from my take home salary I’m left with 1100 a month to pay rent bills etc. i am in a good job with a good profession but it seems I’m worse off than someone on benefits?

Have I got this all wrong? If I quit my job worked and worked a small part time job claiming benefits of get more money per month in my pocket and spend more time with my kids?

I really think I must have misunderstood because I don’t get the impression that people on benefits are living the high life?

What have I misunderstood??? Were the numbers I told incorrect??

Your kids won't be in nursery forever OP and when they get to high school you will still have your professional job. Don't underestimate that thinking the grass is greener.

You can see how it won’t be long before benefit claimants will be required to submit their dna so the absent fathers can be traced to pay towards their offspring.

@DeckTheHallsWithGin

You can see how it won’t be long before benefit claimants will be required to submit their dna so the absent fathers can be traced to pay towards their offspring.

Well I'd hope so. The unpaid CMS bill is in the billions.

It is possible someone can get that much, it depends how much their rent is which will also depend on where they live. Rent in some areas is much higher than others.

I was working as a nurse full time with the hospital bank. Every month I was struggling to make ends meet, childcare costs, £800 rent ( I’m a single mum.) roll back to two years when the pandemic started, there were no bank positions as they had all their permanent staff on standby for covid, so I lost my job and had to go on universal credit.

I can honestly tell you, it was dire for me. I had no money for food. I got £1200 a month, £800 out of that to pay rent, water rates, tv license, heat and electricity. We were left with nothing, my grandmother had to help us with food every week. It was awful for me but got us out of a hole at the time.

I’m a single parent with 2 in primary school and I work about 19h a week.
I receive £1400 approx UC and £750 wage.
This includes housing element of £750 and my rent is £1000. I have a deduction on my council tax of approx £100p/m, but still pay £98 a month. I don’t pay any childcare, as I specifically chose my hours so I didn’t have to find childcare (no option for after/before school club as the waiting list is in years)
As I didn’t work for 10 years, I’ve started again at the bottom of the ladder career wise, but I’m working my way up and intend to be full time on a higher salary once my children are in academy and can be trusted before/after school.

Single parent to an 8nyear old.
I get £970 a month to live on.
Rent
Council tax
Electric
Etc
And it's gone.

The reason some get more in UC than others is rent. They'll pay up to the LHA allowance of whatever area the claimant is in. So for example, of I rented a home for 700, they'd pay maximum 575 towards it.
If I had childcare to pay, they'd pay up to 85% of that child care in arrears. I'd have to pay for the first.month and claim it back the month after.

EntitledTo will tell you if you can claim.
I did a calculation the other day for someone earning £2k amonth and they could claim 500 or so.

@DeckTheHallsWithGin

You can see how it won’t be long before benefit claimants will be required to submit their dna so the absent fathers can be traced to pay towards their offspring.

What would having their DNA do? Even with their DNA absent fathers and even NRPs would still get away with not paying cms it would make no difference! Plus the fact that child maintenance isn’t calculated for UC.

I’m a single parent with 2 in primary school and I work about 19h a week.
I receive £1400 approx UC and £750 wage.

I'm a single parent to one primary age DC. I earn around £1000 pcm and only get £200pcm tax credits.

Whenever I read threads on UC I wonder if I'd be better off on UC than tax credits...

I very much doubt anyone in UC is well off. Plus you are at the mercy of constant changes, forced into unsuitable jobs etc. It is a pittance for most.

@TAKESNOSHITSHIRLEY

well im a single mother with a disabled child in a 3 bedroom(did have another son but hes recently moved out) my uc had different rules to normal uc as i cant work because im a carer and home educator(i know H.E s not a valid reason not to work but as i dont have a child in school and a single mother im his 24/7 carer)so i get left alone and dont have criteria to do

between us both via various benefits i get 2167 a month
before my other son moved out out it was an extra 685 a month on top

i also get 140 a year warm home front for the gas and 25 a week if its below 0

my rent is 500 and i get 480 which is included in the above amount, my council tax is fully paid, which i dont know how much a month is as its automatically paid to the council

quite Frankly i haven't worried about money since 2012 when my 17 y old was diagnosed at 8 then in 2015 my 11 y old was diagnosed at 5.

when my ex was living here(left sept 2020) between 2 adults on carers allowance and 2 kids on high dla and full rent and council tax paid we were getting 750 a week

where i live thats really good money

EDIT i read this back and im not boasting at all even though it sounds a very boasty, braggy post, im just saying it as it is as that's been/is my circumstances

No this really isn't a Braggy post

Op keep working , benefits seem great when you have kids but once they've flown the nest you'll be glad you have kept your job

@INeedNewShoes

Have u checked the benefits calculator online?
I’ve seen some people say they are better off staying on tax credits and that’s why the haven’t changed to UC but I think eventually everyone/most will have to change over

@Loveandlimpets

The thing about benefits though is that government policy could change at any time. People on benefits can never fully rely on it continuing as it currently is. You're far better off working.

The same could be said about work, especially in the current economic climate.

I assume the poster with higher rate DLA and £750 per month "spare" is using that money for the additional needs of the disabled child.

I had much more disposable income as a single parent on benefits and have friends who have since partnered up and same for them … I also until recently spent my entire salary on childcare…. we have to watch the pennies, I drive an old car and it’s been years since we’ve had a holiday. ….
However I now have a supportive husband and we own our own house with a mortgage, if I do a few extra hours we see the benefit of that whereas I lose 95% or any overtime when on benefits. i can also work in a role which requires me to do some hours which wouldn’t be covered by commercial childcare. Yes it is frustrating when it’s always assumed that families on UC are so much worse off than everyone else when that’s not always necessarily the case (the system just assumes a partners income is free for you to spend, completely ignoring the fact that your partner may have maintenance and general living costs of their other children to pay for, not to mention the things they feel they reasonably should be entitled to if their earning a decent salary) however I wouldn’t swap what I have now for that extra bit of disposable income

@Ponoka7

My DD has two children and has never got that. She got around £1k a month. You don't get any other money towards your rent, that's it. Your example is very lucky to have her child care covered, a lot of nurseries give set hours, if you are talking about her 15 free hours. Every two year old gets that. You don't get free childcare on UC, people on low incomes get 30 hours for a 3/4 year old.

@Ponoka7 just to say if you’re In work you don’t get 15 free hrs for 2 yrs olds x

Have I got this all wrong?

Yes!

Insofar as you are directing your anger at the wrong person to blame

Benefits bashing is tiresome, arrogant and shows you don't understand who is TRULY to blame for your own struggles!

Clue: it isn't those of us on benefits! It's the extremely wealthy paying fuck all taxes who are in power and who are keeping housing prices high and wages low!

Don't fall for their misleading myths, don't be party to their blame game

Biggest factor is always rent. Who benefits from that - Landlords.

Exactly!

Which includes a number of mps inc the new housing minister who voted AGAINST legislation that would have meant landlords were required to ensure housing was fit for human habitation!

Half of these problems would be solved if every man who fathers a child is made to pay for that child!

They'd certainly be much better off than they are now!

It's shameful how bad we are at enforcing this as a country

Plus the fact that child maintenance isn’t calculated for UC.

This came about BECAUSE so many men don't pay cm!

When I was 1st on benefits whether he paid or not the amount he was SUPPOSED to pay was deducted from my and dds benefits. As a result I often went without food and other essentials to ensure that dd didn't

A terrible stumbling block with UC is when you have a part time job, say self-employed, that pays in a lump some after a period of time rather than weekly/monthly.

For example, (using made up figures but so you understand the principle) if you can earn fifty pounds a week without losing your UC and you are paid that within a certain time ( a month?) You will be OK. For example A has had no more than £200 that month and will continue to get UC.

But if you get a lump sum after three months you run into problems. For example, B has done some editing work over 3 months and gets paid £500. That will be seen as having been earned over one month not three months and as being £300 over the month’s limit.

Back pay coming as a lump some also Cayuses problems.

This could mean your UC is stopped and it takes all sorts of form filling and 5 weeks to get it set up again. A debt causing nightmare.

Single parent here, my uc is 205 per month and child benefit is 34 per week because I am a student and I receive 501 per month student loan, yes loan which has to be paid back - how is that fair? I also have a mortgage and two children and that is my total income, doesn’t really inspire people to better themselves does it?

Just to clarify, by fair I meant that a loan should not be taken as income but in the world of uc it is

If people are working 12 hrs a week why are they not working full time like the rest of us?

@Aaaabbbcccc

If people are working 12 hrs a week why are they not working full time like the rest of us?

1. Are you a single parent? It is a whole different ball game stress wise.
2. They may have health problems or caring responsibilities.
3. Stats show a large number of mums (and more dads now) work part time or not at all. So no, not everyone 'works full time'.
4. Often they are worse off by doing more hours or come out the same but for more stress and childcare problems.
5. Who is to say '40 hours' is the magic number we should all be aspiring to. It has changed over time and cultures. For many it does not cover the bills. People with lower paid jobs (often lone parents) often have less flexibility and autonomy. Not easy with childcare.
6. Covid has made things very hard for single parents with constant school closures etc.
7. Most single parents work or have a good reason not to.

Yes I am a working lone parent but am lucky my job is a bit flexible. But it has been a nightmare with covid and school closures, after school club closing etc. I do 2/3 'fulltime' and happy with that as the other parent opts to not be involved at all so I have to do everything single handedly. When I was partnered up it was a doddle even with a useless exH!

I'll get flamed but I am definitely worse off than someone on UC. I'm single with no children and get no benefits and pay extortionate private rent for a tiny studio. In principle I could go out and have a one night stand, get pregnant and id be entitled to most of my rent covered for a much bigger flat. Fortunately I have no interest in being a parent so I won't be doing that

I must say it was worse when Labour were in power though. I knew two people who lived alone, no children, in expensive parts of London (Balham and Islington) who had their rent covered and only worked part time for "pocket money". Meanwhile I was working full time on just above minimum wage with a 3hr daily commute as I couldn't afford to live in London. i was very glad when the tories came in and both of those people were told they'd only get housing benefit to cover a houseshare, although my male friend suddenly found a girlfriend and got her pregnant in a matter of weeks

Yes if you are a single parent on let’s say for arguments sake minimum wage you are better off working part time than full time. The system is so messed up

SIL is a single parent, with one child in primary school and works 16 hours a week. Her work offered her a promotion which would mean working full time and she turned it down, because she wouldn't be any better off than she is currently with her wage being topped up by benefits. Her exact words were "only a mug would work 37.5 hours a week when they can work 16 for the same money!"

@Aaaabbbcccc

If people are working 12 hrs a week why are they not working full time like the rest of us?

The government will only cover approx £640 per month on UC in childcare for one child. If you put pen to paper and look at the prices of playschemes they are on average £40 per day times that by 5 its £200 a week..... times that by 4 is £800 a month.